SOUTH PORTLAND — A proposed resolution that would declare racism a public health crisis got a warm reception Tuesday night from the City Council.
Drafted and presented by the city’s Board of Health and Human Rights Commission, the three-page document calls for a full review of municipal laws, policies and practices to root out systemic racism wherever it may exist.
Councilors and residents praised the resolution as a necessary, forward-thinking and brave initiative fueled by the Black Lives Matter movement and validated by racial disparities exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is a really beautiful document,” said Councilor Susan Henderson. “This is really big. This affects our entire society.”
The council reviewed the proposal during a workshop session, making two amendments before forwarding the resolution for adoption at an upcoming regular meeting, likely on May 17.
One amendment removed a line that would compel the council to hire an outside consultant to scour city laws, policies and practices for systemic racism. The resolution retains language calling for the council to “dedicate financial and human resources to explore examining city systems, policies, charters, ordinances and procedures, and make recommendations to address, and commit to responding to, systemic racism.”
A second amendment removed a specific reference to the Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy at the University of Southern Maine. Councilors said they didn’t want to disregard other branches of the university that conduct research on racial disparities. The resolution still names USM.
The proposed resolution is part of a national movement targeting historic and contemporary racism as the source of systems that, as the resolution states, “implicitly and explicitly impact the physical, psycho-social and economic wellbeing of Black, Indigenous and Persons of Color.”
These longstanding systems of racial and socioeconomic inequity “impact education, housing, economic opportunity, health care, criminal justice and other determinants of health,” the resolution states. They also “cause documented disparities in educational outcomes, economic achievement, social status and health among non-White populations.”
Hiring a consultant to review and recommend action on city laws, policies and practices would cost at least $50,000, City Manager Scott Morelli said in a memo to the council.
The resolution also calls on the city to inform residents about the city’s history related to slavery and tribal communities; to include Indigenous voices on municipal boards; and to direct municipal boards to address systemic racism.
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